


Bruises

by the_ghostwriter96



Series: The Fenton Pollen Shooter [4]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Getting to Know Each Other, Heavy Conversations, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More angst, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-13 23:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14122722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_ghostwriter96/pseuds/the_ghostwriter96
Summary: Vlad finally comes around again, and they discuss some important topics relating to their budding relationship.





	Bruises

A *ping* came from his computer from over the ‘Music to Study to’ he had playing, but Danny didn’t raise his head from the desk. He was, at least sort of, meditating. After the few weeks of mental hell that had come after his first and last encounter with Vlad, he knew he had to figure something out to keep himself from going nuts thinking about it all. Overthinking it all, really. So he’d gone to Jazz, since she was studying psychology, and asked for ways to deal with stress.

She had asked questions, like “What’s going on, little brother?” and “You know you can tell me about anything!” but somehow, he knew she wouldn’t take his current stressors very well. Not just his- well, whatever it was, with Vlad, but neither his growing inability to handle Dash Freaking Baxter. Or the fact that his grades were slipping (for the millionth time since middle school). She also called his stress ‘anxiety’, and encouraged him to tell their parents about it. But what would he say to them?

“Mom, dad, I’m banging your old college friend and every day that I don’t hear from him gives me anxiety.”

Or, even better;

“Mom, dad, all this talk about dissecting the Phantom is really getting to me, for some strange reason that you shouldn’t look too deeply into. Could you tone it down?”

There wasn’t a real solution that anyone else could give him. Really, he just had to learn to deal with it, so he’d sought out Jazz’s help. And she had helped! She explained to him, simply, so he could understand it, ‘mindfulness’ techniques. Like focusing on what he could hear, what he could feel, what he could see instead of the racing thoughts that went through his head. And then closing his eyes, and counting four beats to every breath. Counting an even four during inhalation, and then an even four during exhalation.

The latter was what he was doing on this evening, after dinner. The fact that Vlad hadn’t come by- and in fact had *declined* an invitation from Jack- in two weeks was getting to him. Had the man, despite their conversation, decided to avoid him? He’d disappeared before Danny had woken up the next morning, and he hadn’t left behind a number or even an email address where the teen could reach him.

Danny could, if he wanted, go to the man’s mansion and see him… but he probably had ghost shields up, right? So he couldn’t go as Phantom. And it would look a little odd for a baby-faced high schooler to waltz up to his front door, wouldn’t it? Not just odd, but suspicious- it would be bad for Vlad’s publicity as mayor. But what if he was waiting on Danny to come on his own?

Or, what if he’d changed his mind? What if he didn’t want to see Danny, and everything had really just been a result of the pollen? Because both of their Encounters (as Danny deemed them) had found Vlad under the influence of the pollen. What if it was only Danny that felt- whatever it was he felt, that made him want to see the man so badly?

He’d only just admitted to himself fully, that he was apparently not completely straight. And he told Sam, first, knowing from her Tumblr posts that she was a fierce LGBT+ supporter; and she had been supportive. More than just supportive, her reaction had been calm and her surprise maybe even a little fake. Like she had known, even before him, that he was bi, or whatever he was. Tucker, on the other hand, was definitely surprised. Not especially unsupportive, but he’d kept asking “Are you sure?” and “Maybe you’re just bi-curious?” but Danny thought that he was more concerned for Danny’s sake, should he decide to ‘come out’, than he was whether Danny was into guys or not.

He still hadn’t told Jazz, but she, like Sam, probably had suspicions of her own. He couldn’t think of what might have given it away- he didn’t look at boys in the locker room, he didn’t talk obsessively about them, he didn’t really spend time with any guys except for Tucker- who was *very* heterosexual.

That line of thought had got him thinking about his mannerisms. The way he walked, the way he dressed, the way he spoke. Was he flamboyant, somehow, without realizing? Was he feminine in some way that he couldn’t see? He personally found himself very plain, without very many noticeable attributes beyond being a half-ghost, and even that was something only a handful of people knew about. He dressed in typical clothes; t-shirts and jeans and sneakers, without much thought to fashion. No one had ever *told* him he walked funny, or talked funny, and Dash probably would have said something rude by this point if that were the case.

But then, Dash. What if everyone suspected that he was gay? What if that was why Dash picked on him so much? And holy hell, speaking of Dash picking on him, Danny had lost his temper today, lost the privilege of sitting in class in favor of ISS, and lost his phone when his parents found out what happened.

And the stinging pain from his busted lip, along with ache from the darkening bruise on his cheek (that thankfully didn’t reach his eye,) kept stirring him from the peaceful state he was trying to reach. And after what felt like an hour of trying, he folded his arms on the desk and hid his face in them, groaning his frustration. A couple of *pings* sounded from his computer, but he ignored them still. At this point, it was just Sam and Tucker talking to each other in their group chat, rather than trying to contact him specifically. They would’ve given up a while ago, when he ignored their messages that consisted of,

“What were you thinking Danny?” and “You didn’t have to do that man!” and “You can’t let him get to you like that.”

Danny didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to deal with it, or to have to explain himself. His mom had been furious to learn he’d gotten in a fight, and more furious to learn he had ISS. His dad had been- disappointed, if the look on his face was anything to go by. They’d said, “We don’t condone using violence to solve our problems in this household!” and it had been a miracle that he hadn’t rolled his eyes or laughed a bitter laugh right in their faces.

They were the most violent people he knew, except for maybe Dash, and maybe Vlad, at one point. With their ecto-guns and talk of dissection and their chasing ghosts around, looking for a fight instead of looking to contain them. To pretend they weren’t violent was laughable. Jazz, who had been sitting at the table during the discussion (that was actually just Maddie lecturing him, so pretty one-sided), saw his face and shook her head sharply. A reminder to keep his mouth shut, and he had done exactly that. He’d handed his cellphone over without a word.

No one had even bothered to ask what happened. “What has gotten into you?”, yes. And “I know that you know better!”, of course. But no “What happened?” or “What did he do?”

He sat up, a nervous flutter in his stomach when a fine, blue mist escaped his lips. When he turned around, sure enough, there was Vlad Masters, in human form, standing by his door with his hands behind his back. His eyes were sharp, as always, but also uncertain- hesitant, like he didn’t know whether he was welcome to come in or not.

He wasn’t wearing his full suit, as usual. He’d forgone the tie and the jacket, clad only in black pants and a white button-up. “I apologize for not knocking, but as you know, that’s not really-“

“It’s fine.” Danny assured him, trying to smile but wincing at the pain when it stretched the split in his lower lip. “I didn’t know if you were coming back.”

“Yes, well.” Vlad turned away, inspecting the far window as though it were suddenly very interesting. “I’ve had a lot of business to attend to- being the CEO of VladCo, as well as the mayor of Amity Park.”

Danny lowered his eyes to his jeans, picking idly at a thread by his knee. This was awkward. The man was stiff and tense, obviously uncomfortable. But why? Did he not want to see Danny? But then, why else would he have come? Danny took a moment to count; four beats in, four beats out. Then he said, “I didn’t know if it was okay to come see you. I wanted to.”

Vlad looked at him, then, and seemed to relax a little. “I see. I do most of my business from home, so I’m there more often than not.” And if that wasn’t an invitation to come over!

Danny grinned- and quickly relaxed his mouth when his lip opened up again. Not enough to actively bleed, just enough to sting a little more and feel wet with blood. “I thought you might not-“

“What’s this?” Vlad asked, crossing the room quickly and closing in on Danny fast enough to make him press back in his chair- flinching away, despite himself. Vlad, if he noticed, ignored that, taking his chin between his thumb and finger. Turning Danny’s head, inspecting the split, and the bruise. “What happened?”

It wasn’t from ghost fighting, obviously; wounds in his ghost form rarely crossed over to his human form. In fact, they usually healed over pretty quickly without leaving anything lasting more than a few minutes.

He was nervous now, both from the sudden proximity (they were close enough to kiss, if he leaned in a little) and from the sharp way the man had spoken. He couldn’t deal with another lecture. He couldn’t deal with another person telling him that he shouldn’t have gotten in a fight, that he should’ve let someone else handle it, that he shouldn’t stoop to their level. Then again, he couldn’t imagine Vlad- stealing, stalking, manipulating, often-resorting-to-violence Vlad- saying anything like that.

At the same time, it felt like such a petty incident. Childish and pathetic and juvenile, problems that adults surely didn’t have, that someone like *Vlad* would probably scoff at. In comparisons to the problems that he must have, as a CEO, as a mayor, as someone *out of high school* and suddenly Danny felt very young, and very inadequate. He didn’t often feel that way with all the responsibilities he juggled in his life, all the victories he won and problems he solved, but just then, he did.

A shrug was his only reply before he turned his face away, so he wouldn’t have to see those ever-piercing, icy-blue eyes anymore. The fingers fell away from his chin as Vlad straightened up, and Danny could *feel* his gaze, heavy and scrutinizing.

“Come here,” Vlad said, and Danny looked at him, startled by how quickly he dropped the subject. The older man had crossed the room to the bed, and was currently stepping out of his shoes. Was he undressing? Danny felt a jolt of nerves- of anxiety, as Jazz would call it- at the thought that Vlad had come to fool around again.

Dash had punched him in the stomach, and shoved him into lockers, and his body ached a little and he wasn’t sure he really wanted to do anything like that, tonight. But if that’s what Vlad had come for, what would he do if Danny said no? Would he leave? Four counts in, four counts out. He was gripping the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were white, a physical representation of his anxiety. Vlad was watching him, but as he opened his mouth to say something else a *ping* came from the computer and Danny realized his meditation music was still playing.

Spinning around in his chair, he pressed the button on his speakers, effectively muting both the music and the chat. He stared at the screen for a second, regretting the silence already. It made things twice as awkward, he felt.

He pushed away from the desk, standing up and moved around it to approach Vlad. Nervously, uncertainty fluttering his stomach and tightening his chest, he stopped in front of Vlad- who had not undressed, after all, but who was looking down at him with an undefinable- but certainly not happy- expression. Had Danny made him mad? Did he take too long to come over? Probably- he’d been doing his breathing technique, to try and calm down.

“Daniel,”

Danny dropped his eyes to the floor at Vlad’s tone. It was uncomfortable, lined with tension. Disappointed, even, maybe.

“If you’d like me to leave, I will.” And then he was back to his usual full-of-himself, near-condescending way of speaking but Danny realized that it was just a front- Vlad was nervous, too. He’d been so hesitant when he first came in, and Danny was acting like-

“I don’t want you to leave.” Danny said quickly. Too quickly, and he felt heat rising up his neck, coloring his cheeks. “I’ve been waiting for you.” For two weeks, in fact. Almost two weeks to the day. “I’m just…”

Vlad touched his cheek, softly, running his fingers over the bruise but not so much that it hurt. Then he stepped back, sitting down on the bed and shifting until his back was against the headboard, legs stretched out over the mattress. He held out his arm. “Come here.” He said again, firmer this time, and Danny didn’t hesitate.

Climbing over his legs, with a helpful, firm hand steadying his back, Danny settled onto the bed beside Vlad and stared down at his legs. He didn’t react when an arm slid behind his neck, looping around to run fingers through his hair, except to shift closer to let it. They were sitting so close; hip-to-hip, leg-to-leg, side-to-side and the arm around him only pulled him closer.

He wasn’t used to this. To having someone’s arm around *him*. With Sam and Valerie, it had always been the opposite- he put his arm around them. He touched them, with gentle and soft touches that were more like caresses. They had never done that to him, and it felt- weird. And good, comforting and relaxing and he could see why they always got so shy and giddy, but *weird* and unfamiliar. It almost felt- feminizing, in a way. Almost demeaning, but he felt like that was sexist, probably, and anyway, gay people did this all the time, he was sure. It wasn’t demeaning, it was normal.

And it wasn’t like Danny could put his arm around Vlad’s shoulders; he couldn’t *reach* unless he propped himself up on something like a makeshift booster-seat, and his height was embarrassing enough without drawing that kind of attention to it. So instead, he let himself relax, counting his breaths for good measure.

“Daniel,” Vlad began, speaking softly but not- not in that way that made Danny uncomfortable. Not in the way where it sounded like he was scared to say the wrong thing.

“Yeah?”

“What happened?”

He let out a frustrated huff, but instead of shrugging, he just scowled at his legs. “It’s just stupid, okay? I got in a fight at school.”

“That seems out of character for you, Little Badger.” And if it weren’t for the fingers ever-carding through his hair, he’d think that was disapproval.

“Yeah, well. Someone had to do it, and it’s not like the teachers ever do anything. No one else stands up to him.” And then, after a moment he continued. “He knocked my books out of my hands. He does it all the time- and he takes my notes and pokes me with pencils and…” He shrugged, finally. “So I punched him in the face, and he hit me back,” That was putting it lightly. “And then a teacher showed up and I have ISS and I’m grounded.”

It felt good that someone had asked. That someone cared what happened, what his reasons were, instead of just lecturing him about right and wrong.

“You realize, don’t you, that you have *ghost powers*. You could easily get back at him without-“

“One, I will *never* use my ghost powers to get back at *anyone*. Ever.” Been there, done that, and he’d almost lost his body to another ghost because of it. “And two, it wasn’t about getting back at him. It was about… standing up to him.” It was about showing him that Danny wouldn’t lie down and take it anymore. That he wasn’t going to be pushed around and bullied and harassed, without a fight.

Vlad sighed, but it didn’t sound condemnatory. More like resignation, than anything. “Always the noble one, aren’t you?” And even *that* didn’t sound particularly disdainful. “And always without a thought to the way it will affect you.”

“He’s gonna beat me up whether I fight back or not. And it felt good to fight back.” Too good. It was so satisfying, watching him stumble back with wide eyes, holding his face where Danny had hit him. It might even be worth the pain, and the fact that Dash was probably going to be even more aggressive than usual for a while. “Someone needed to do it.”

“And that someone had to be you?”

Danny didn’t answer, drawing his knees up to his chest instead to fold his arms on them. It *did* have to be him, because in all the years that Dash had been picking on kids, bullying them and exercising his violence, *no one* ever stood up to him. And the teachers didn’t believe their precious football-star was capable of such things. If no one else was going to do it, Danny would. Because *someone* had to, eventually.

It was the same with fighting ghosts, too- his parents were mediocre ghost-hunters (although that was mostly due to Jack’s fumblings), there were no other super-powered people (or other ghosts) stepping up to protect the town… who, then, would take on the role, if not Danny? Because *someone had to*, or else ghosts would wreak havoc and terrorize the people of Amity Park. And, since no one else was stepping up to the plate, it seemed to fall on him.

Sam and Tucker seemed to understand that. They supported him without question, except for the brief period in which he’d dated Sam, and ghost-fights called him away from their dates. As friends, though, she supported him 100%. And Tucker never wavered. Vlad probably wouldn’t understand, even if Danny explained it to him. He was clear in his distaste for Danny’s heroism. Hell, he *released* ghosts sometimes, to let them make messes for the oh-so-competent-and-praised mayor to clean up. He didn’t care about the safety of Amity Park citizens. He didn’t care about what the right thing to do was, so how could he ever understand why Danny did?

That realization, that Vlad was *very* unlikely to ever support him like his friends did, was a disappointing one. They were really two very different people. At the crux of things, Vlad had always been a villain. Manipulative and sly, powerful and *evil* and- the opposite of Danny. Why would that change now, just because they’d slept together a couple of aphrodisiac-driven times?

And this- this moment, this silence, even as the arm left his shoulders and fingers trailed through his hair, down his neck and traveled along his spine- was unforgivably awkward. They weren’t friends. They were *enemies*. They always had been. The fact that Danny had expected that to change, that he’d expected… what *had* he expected? The fingers dipped below his t-shirt, only to come up his back again beneath it, touching and rubbing his skin. Vlad’s hand left tingles behind in its path, and Danny felt warm, and his mind was a little unfocused, but not enough to distract him from what he was coming to realize:

Whatever Danny’s feelings for the man were- his usual obsession warped with hormones, the urge to explore his newfound sexuality, or a crush- Vlad almost certainly did not see this as more than just an opportunity. Even when Danny had confessed in his hazy, affection-drunk state that he thought he *liked* Vlad (‘like-liked’ ran through his mind, a childish term from his younger days), the man had not returned the sentiment. A promise of a date was not the same as a confession, and that date had not come into fruition, anyway.

Two weeks had passed without hearing from him at all, and suddenly he was here in Danny’s room, in his bed, touching him under his clothes. Relaxing, heating touches, but surely not innocent ones.

“Why did you come here tonight?” Danny asked, careful not to sound either hopeful for an answer that wasn’t the one he expected, or dejected for the same expectation.

The hand never stilled, never slowed. “To see you,” He must have done a good job hiding his emotions, because the words were laced with amusement, like it was a silly question that Danny should know the answer to.

“Yeah, but-“ He stopped, trying to think of a way to phrase it without straight-up asking if he came to fuck. “I mean, *what* did you come here for?”

“If you mean to ask, ‘did I come here with the expectation of sex with you’, the answer is no.” Amusement, still.

“Why did it take you so long to come back?” He asked, but he didn’t ask “And why did you leave before I woke up?” even though he wondered that, too.

“I truly have been busy with work, Daniel.” The amusement was gone, now. “It isn’t easy to balance mayoral duties with the avalanche of paperwork, conferencing and decision-making that comes with running a company.” Finally, the hand slipped from beneath his shirt, resting on top of it between Danny’s shoulders instead. “I can’t read your mind, you know. I’m afraid you’ll have to tell me what’s bothering you.”

Danny was silent. He wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t sure how to word it in a way that was succinct. Finally, he said, “You don’t like me, do you? You’ve never liked me.”

“Ah.” Vlad replied, and for a moment Danny wondered if that was all he was going to say. But then, he went on, threading his fingers through Danny’s hair once again. “As you know, I have always… desired you.” He paused, as though to let that sink in, but the lack of sexual context behind ‘desired’ was clear in the way he’d spoken the word. “In some form or another.” As a son, as a pupil. “Despite myself, and despite what I may say on the contrary, I find your heroics to be an endearing trait. You’re meddlesome, but in all honesty, most of my less-than-honorable activity is *because* you are meddlesome. To put it simply, and it *pains* me to admit this, I cause trouble to lure you out, because I enjoy your company. I enjoy our banter, and your ridiculous sense of humor, and I had, at one point, enjoyed sparring with you.”

The younger halfa listened intently as Vlad continued. “It was only recently that my desire for you shifted- in this direction. Not unlike you, it was our… encounter, so many weeks ago that revealed this shift. Perhaps it was before that, that it had changed in this way, but it wasn’t until then that I realized.” He moved on the bed until he was on his knees beside Danny, and gently caught the boy’s jaw to turn his face, until he met his eyes. “I have always desired you, in some form or another.” Vlad repeated, and Danny clenched his teeth, fighting the blush that threatened his face. “And I have never disliked you.”

That was… he didn’t know what to say. Vlad’s eyes, his tone and his face, were maybe the most genuine that Danny had ever seen from the man. He’d overthought things, let his mind run away with the most negative scenario and he’d been very wrong in his conclusion. And now, he needed to reply, he needed to say *something* but he couldn’t find the words. He didn’t know how to take this news. And it *was* news, because he had been positive, in all the years that he’d known Vlad, that all that had been there beyond the obsession was contempt. He trashed Danny’s moral compass, he insulted him every chance he got, he picked fights and went out of his way to make Danny’s life hell- but it had all been with the intention of luring him out, or for the sake of banter, or…

It wasn’t healthy, obviously. Danny knew that, and somewhere inside, Vlad probably knew that too. Even if he didn’t actually care. But the contempt, the disdain and all that Danny had thought was there, hadn’t been. And Vlad *enjoyed his company*. Enjoyed having him around, and like his dumb jokes and the silly insults and- he *liked* Danny. Even his heroism.

He opened his mouth to reply- to say that he liked Vlad, too. He liked how smart he was, and how intimidating he could be with such ease, and how he always had something witty to say, and even his vampire-like style of dress and home. He liked his confidence. He liked the way everything Vlad did was graceful and elegant. He liked this new side of him, too; the gentle, reassuring and side that Danny had never seen before.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say any of it. It was embarrassing, to say it out loud, and he wasn’t sure anything he could say would have the same effect that the older man’s words did. Danny wasn’t nearly as eloquent, and he knew he’d probably just fumble through his explanation and he’d just wind up babbling instead. So he leaned into the hand that held his jaw until it moved to cup his cheek instead, and then leaned in, closing the small distance between the two men and pressing their lips together.

Vlad breathed through his nose- whether it was a sigh of satisfaction or a laugh, Danny didn’t know- and returned the kiss. Soft kisses, without tongue which Danny was grateful for since even just this made his lip sting. Danny moved until he was sitting on his knees, too, facing Vlad for a better angle. Vlad’s hand, the one that wasn’t holding his face and stroking a thumb over his cheek, rest on his waist over his shirt and the teen stretched his arms over Vlad’s shoulders.

He only broke the kiss when Vlad licked across his lower lip, both because it hurt a little and because it sparked something low in his belly that he knew he wouldn’t be up for entertaining, tonight, and he didn’t want Vlad to get the wrong idea. The older man’s breath tickled his cheek and he met his eyes, his own wide and nervous of how Vlad might react.

“I can’t- do anything.” He felt stupid every time he talked, lately. He never could seem to say what he meant without stammering or stumbling through it. “Dash-“ Really got him, so much that it hurt his stomach even just to sit like this. “-uh, the bruises, you know,”

“No,” Vlad pulled back, his hand falling from Danny’s face to rest on his shoulder. “I don’t know. There’s more?”

“It’s not a big deal.” Danny rushed to assure him, heating up at the sharpness that had returned to the man’s voice. Like earlier, when he first noticed Danny’s face. “It just hurts if I-“

“Show me.” Vlad commanded, and Danny hesitated. “Daniel, please.”

Flushing, he scooted back a little until Vlad’s touch fell away, and then lifted his shirt. He looked down at his own stomach, grimacing at the purply-red bruise, about the width of average knuckles and a couple of inches top to bottom. It was going to be a dark one, worse than the one on his cheek, and it was going to last longer too. It was going to hurt whenever he had to use his abdomen muscles. The only upside to it was that no one would see it unless he showed them, sans when he’d have to change in the locker room- but with his ISS, that wouldn’t be an issue for a couple of weeks.

Vlad’s expression hardened, and he reached out. Danny let him guide him, until they were lying together on the bed with Danny on his back and Vlad on his side, elbow bent on the pillow to prop his head up. He was looking down at Danny with hardened features, and the hand that wasn’t holding him up off the bed pushed the teen’s shirt up instead, and Danny’s breath caught as the man brushed his palm flat over his stomach. Over the bruise near his middle, just above his bellybutton.

Danny didn’t know what to do with himself. With his hands. Or where to put his arms, so eventually, he crossed them loosely over his chest as he studied Vlad’s face. His expression, tight-lipped, jaw set, eyes hard and displeasure clear in his features. It was weird- all of this was weird. But Danny liked it, he found. He liked the way Vlad seemed to like touching him. He liked the way the older halfa pet him, and the way he laid so close to him.

He smelled like cologne, expensive and fancy. A scent that Danny had only ever smelled on him, before. One that he’d smelled even on Plasmius, when they’d gotten very close during fights. It was familiar, and now he found it comforting, in a way.

Fingers grazing up and down his stomach, tickling, making him squirm and suck in air and (achingly) tighten his stomach muscles. Never wandering down too far, or up too far. Never enough to make him uncomfortable. The icy-blue gaze left his stomach and caught his eyes, instead, and he watched the hardness in them soften.

“I don’t like the idea of some hooligan laying his hands on you.” Vlad said, after a moment. Danny breathed a laugh at that.

“Who says ‘hooligan’ anymore?” He relaxed a little, though. “But really, it’s not a big deal. I’ve had worse.” And he had. He’s had cracked ribs and broken bones and concussions in his ghost form, even if they *did* heal quickly. They still *hurt*. “You’ve done worse,” He added, after a moment’s hesitation.

Vlad swallowed, and then looked away, stilling his hand and splaying his fingers over Danny’s belly. When he turned back, he was solemn. Serious. “I won’t again.” He said, and his voice was tight. Like this was difficult to say, even after he’d admitted all that mushy stuff before. “Hurt you, that is.” And, unspoken, Danny could hear his regrets. The unsaid “I’m sorry” for the violence before, for the pranks and the elaborate schemes that had made Danny’s early teen years hell.

“It’s okay.” He answered the unspoken remorse that he was sure was there. “I know.”

“Do you know?” The petting had resumed, and Vlad’s expression was wholly blank now. Void of anything telling of what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but as he went on Danny felt that he knew, anyway. “You flinch when I come near you. You hesitate to approach me. You shy away from me when I touch you.” He was unsure, like Danny was. This was weird to him, too. New and unfamiliar, everything uncertain, uncharted.

Danny frowned, his fingers digging into his arms while he tried to think of a way to make this better. He hadn’t meant to make things awkward- it just felt like something he needed to say. A subject that they would need to broach, either now or later. There were a lot of those. Discussions they needed to have, things they needed to work out, before this could be anything- real, or remotely healthy, if it would ever be.

“It’s not just you.” He said, finally, thinking hard about his words before he said them in an effort to avoid babbling. “I’m just… jumpy.” With everyone; his friends, his parents. He was constantly on edge, constantly waiting for the next ghost-attack. His ‘mindfulness’ stuff had been helping with that though, a little. “And this is weird. You know it is.” He caught Vlad’s hand with his own, hesitantly, like he wasn’t sure it was okay to do- because he *wasn’t* sure, he *didn’t* know what was okay and what wasn’t. “Because you’re a man, not a girl, and I don’t know what to do. And because you’re *you*, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Care to expand on that, Little Badger? That last bit.”

He bit back a sigh, because this was difficult to explain. Then, he tugged Vlad’s hand away from his stomach, bringing it up to his chest to hold it there. The older man’s hands were bigger than his, and felt eternally warm against the inner, eternal cold that Danny felt from his core. “What if I do the wrong thing? Or- or if I do something you don’t like? I don’t want to go back to fighting, and I don’t want you to leave, but what if…” What if he messes up?

It would be so easy to mess up, like this. So easy to ruin everything- this, whatever this was between them, felt precariously balanced on top of their past. Like any one thing could send it crumbling down. The kissing and touching and messing around was the easy part, compared to the *talking* and the *getting to know each other* and the *getting things out in the open*.

The corners of Vlad’s mouth quirked up into a smile. Danny could feel a tension draining from him, and it seemed like he said the right thing, after all. “Ah, yes. A relatable sentiment.” Danny had realized before that Vlad felt that way, too. It was obvious in the way he spoke, sometimes, like he was afraid of how Danny would react. “I can assure you, however, that I will not leave in the event that things become… difficult.”

Danny breathed another laugh, one of relief and one because if Vlad could handle how awkward this was, he probably *could* handle things getting ‘difficult’. “Me too.” He smiled with the half of his mouth that wasn’t tight with drying blood. Then, when Vlad didn’t answer right away, he averted his eyes and asked, “Would you sleep with me? Uh- literally sleep.” He added, quickly, looking up to catch Vlad’s eyebrows raising up and amusement dancing in his eyes. “You don’t have to if you don’t-“

“I want to.” Vlad assured him, sliding his hand from Danny’s chest to his cheek, grazing his knuckles over his cheek.

And only a few minutes later they were laying in the dark, beneath the covers. On their sides, facing each other with Danny’s head laying on Vlad’s arm, and he wondered if the older man was really comfortable like this- but he’d been the one to initiate this position, anyway, so if he wasn’t it was his fault. And Vlad was- as per what was becoming their usual- petting him with slow, light strokes over his side, his arm, sometimes dipping down to touch his back where his shirt had ridden up. Danny closed his eyes and scooted closer, until his forehead was touching Vlad’s bare chest and Vlad rested his chin on the top of his head.

“Are you gonna leave before I wake up?” He asked, and the gentle squeeze at his hip was an answer before the spoken one.

“It’s risky, Daniel, for me to be here during the day.” It was risky any time, really. Even with the door locked; his dad (overzealous and excited about something or the other) had burst through the door lock-be-damned on multiple occasions.

“Yeah.” Danny reached out, touching his fingers to Vlad’s chest, running them over the coarse, silver hairs. “It’s okay.”

“You’re welcome to come see me at my home.”

“I’m grounded.” He snorted. “Indefinitely.”

“I see.” He sounded thoughtful, and Danny took a breath.

“I can email you,”

“I’ll write it down before I go, then.” Now, he sounded pleased.

Good, Danny thought, but didn’t say. Instead, he said, “Goodnight.” because the soothing touches and enveloping warmth were lulling him to sleep. Plus, it was late, and he'd had a long day, and he had school the next day.

“Goodnight, Daniel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments please! :) They inspire me to keep going!


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